Fort Jones igloo builders

Brothers Mike and Bubba Hopkins have been building igloos around their hometown of Fort Jones since they were kids, but this year’s snow structure will put the rest to shame, they say.

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By John Bowman

Siskiyou Daily News, Yreka, CA

By John Bowman

Posted Dec. 28, 2012 at 9:19 AM
Updated Dec 28, 2012 at 9:29 AM

By John Bowman

Posted Dec. 28, 2012 at 9:19 AM
Updated Dec 28, 2012 at 9:29 AM

FORT JONES

Brothers Mike and Bubba Hopkins have been building igloos around their hometown of Fort Jones since they were kids, but this year’s snow structure will put the rest to shame, they say.

As of yesterday afternoon, the pair had spent the better part of five days working on the igloo and put over 170 blocks of snow in place. Bubba estimated the structure is about one third finished. So far the igloo measures 31 feet across and is intended to reach 19 feet tall when finished.

Mike said he had done some internet research and found that a group in Wisconsin had built an igloo measuring 27 feet, four inches wide and 17 feet, six inches tall. “They won world biggest with that one and that was two years ago. This one’s going to be bigger than that, for sure,” he commented.

Five years ago the brothers built an igloo in the same place that was 12 feet tall. Mike said there hasn’t been enough snow in Fort Jones since then to make another serious effort. “We’ve got to make up for five years, now,” he said.

Asked if they planned to notify any record keeping organizations to qualify for a new world record, Mike said, “Oh, I don’t know. We just figured if we build it they’ll come.”

The brothers have so far been the only builders on the project – diligently packing snow into a plastic storage tub to make blocks, then pulling it to the igloo on a sled before setting the blocks in place – but said they would welcome the help of additional volunteers in the coming days.

“We’re not exactly sure how we’ll work it once it gets too tall to put the blocks in place from the ground,” Mike said. “We might get a friend to bring an excavator over and help get them up there, but we’d like to be able to do it without machinery. We may just build some scaffolding and use that to get up higher.”

Motorists passing through Fort Jones in the next week can watch the progress as the igloo grows toward a record size. The Daily News will follow the work of the Hopkins brothers and provide more photos throughout the process.